I sorta think so. Mike Silva tells Molina to take it or leave it.

With Bay, I suspect it’s that he really does not want to play in NY. He probably went into the off-season hoping the Red Sox would make a strong bid to resign him or that his hometown Mariners would come calling. If the rumor that Milton Bradley is going to Seattle is true, I doubt they would want to add another 30 year-old outfielder. Bay and his agent are waiting for someone else – anyone – to enter the bidding. Making a counter proposal to Minaya means the Mets are the only suitors.

I agree with Silva in that it’s his agent trying to get more money from the Mets.

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Mike Silva provides a thought provoking piece this morning advocating the return of Wally Backman to the organization. I don’t know much about what’s happened to Wally since he left the Mets other than what I read in news reports, and I wouldn’t feel right in commenting on it at any rate. Yet Backman is an intriguing individual that has demonstrated he knows about winning. His comments to Silva indicate to me that he has evolved even more into someone with a desire to see a big picture. Backman would be a good guy to send around right now on behalf of the Mets.

He was about winning as a player. About team first. He took to the Mets’ acquisition of Tim Teufel to platoon with him at second base before the 1986 season. Backman knew Teufel could hit after playing against him in 1983 while in AAA. My memories of Backman involve how tough he was. We used to wrap up both hamstrings so he could play.

The Mets embraced their past by bringing back Bobby Ojeda, Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez to be part of their broadcast team. Mets fans have a unique romantic attachment to its past that few teams enjoy. Heaven knows now would be a great time for the Wilpons to make some sort of gesture that would please fans. Maybe not Wally, but maybe someone like him who has an emotional investment in how well Mets play. Embrace your past again.

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Mike Silva has more in his excellent NY Baseball Digest.

For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t be surprised if Clint Hurdle doesn’t try to get Wally if he gets another managing job.

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From David Lennon at Newsday.

I’m sure that the Mets sincerely wanted Duaner to get a chance to catch on with someone, but they had to let him go by the middle of the month not to be on the hook for his entire salary. Even though Minaya said that he wanted cut down the numbers so he could get other guys some mork work, the move has to signal that they are pleased with what they are seeing from other pitchers in camp. Is it Bobby Parnell?

H/T: Ballbug, Metsblog

UPDATE: Mike Silva has more on the favorites to make the bullpen. Note that Silva’s post was prior to the Sanchez release and that he speculated he would not be in the mi at the end.

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